Laure Conan

Abstract is: Marie-Louise-Félicité Angers (9 January 1845 – 6 June 1924), better known by her pen name Laure Conan, was a French Canadian writer and journalist. She is regarded as one of the first French-Canadian female novelists and the writer of the first French Canadian psychological novel. She was born in La Malbaie, Quebec, and educated by the Ursulines in Quebec City. She returned to La Malbaie and dated Pierre-Alexis Tremblay, but their relationship ended; critics ascribe the end of this relationship as the reason why Conan's writings include themes of isolation. Her first publication was "Un amour vrai" in the Revue de Montréal, a short story. For this publication, she chose the Laure Conan alias, named for Conan III, Duke of Brittany. She published Angéline de Montbrun in segments from 1881 to 1882 and as a complete novel in 1884, considered the first French Canadian psychological novel. She published À l'œuvre et à l'épreuve about the early years of Monteral in 1900, which won the Montyon Prize in 1903. Conan then focused on writing historical biographies, mostly concerning religious figures. She published 195 biographies in various Quebec periodicals. She returned to intimism fictional works and published L'obscure souffrance in 1915. She died in Quebec City, Quebec, from heart failure following surgery to treat ovarian cancer, and was buried next to Tremblay. Conan's writings explore themes of family, nation, and religion. She often creates allegories to the French-Canadian conflict of identity caused by the British conquest of New France and the deterioration of French-Canadian culture. Her writing often quoted other literature including fiction, the Bible and poems.